Draft prep: Pittsburgh Pirates outlook

The Pirates can't buy any luck these days. One by one, their No. 1 draft picks succumbed to arm injuries for the better part of the last decade, prolonging the misery of one of the majors' once-proud franchises.

And poor management no doubt played a part too. Now-departed general manager Dave Littlefield made one of the most puzzling moves yet at the trade deadline last year, acquiring highly overpriced starting pitcher Matt Morris from the Giants, seemingly to give the Pirates the proverbial finger on his way out the door.

But the future, as it tends to do, breeds optimism in Pittsburgh. The Pirates have a new, hopefully smarter, management team in place, and for all their top pitching prospects lost to arm injuries, a couple of less-celebrated ones -- Ian Snell and Tom Gorzelanny -- actually turned into something special. Each deserves a late-round pick in Fantasy, with Snell having greater strikeout potential.

On offense, the Pirates' hopes hinge on a return to form for Jason Bay, who plodded through 2007 on a sore right knee. The tendinitis, perpetuated by an offseason knee surgery, dragged his once-elite numbers down to pedestrian levels, and discerning Fantasy owners hope an offseason of rest will do him good. Target him in the middle rounds as an injury-risk sleeper.

Other Fantasy-worthy players litter the starting lineup. Adam LaRoche at first base, Freddy Sanchez at second and even Jose Bautista at third deserve late-round mixed-league consideration. Ronny Paulino, the catcher, has also proven serviceable in Fantasy, though he stands to lose a few at-bats to the offensive-minded Ryan Doumit.

Clearly, the Pirates are no quick fix, and you can expect them to have another uphill battle to climb in 2008. Until they have more elite prospects, like outfielder Andrew McCutchen, to build around, they’ll remain cellar dwellers in the NL Central, costing Snell and Gorzelanny wins and closer Matt Capps saves.

Spring position battles

Center field -- Nate McLouth vs. Nyjer Morgan

Of all the position battles we've given you for every team across every division in baseball, this one looks as neck-and-neck as any. McLouth appears the better all-around player, having posted a solid on-base percentage of .351 last year while hitting 13 home runs and stealing 22 bases in 329 at-bats. He might even qualify as a sleeper in mixed leagues, though he'll rightfully go undrafted in most. Morgan, on the other hand, is a flat-out burner who can cover plenty of ground in the outfield. His stolen base potential makes this battle worth monitoring in Rotisserie leagues.

Right field -- Xavier Nady vs. Ryan Doumit and Steve Pearce

Nady, the incumbent, will surely break camp at the position, but he doesn't have near the upside of Doumit or Pearce. Doumit also has the ability to catch and is already 27 years old, so Pearce looks like the long-term solution here. Last year in the minors, Pearce had 31 homers to 70 strikeouts, which should tell you everything you need to know about his potential. Expect Pearce to supplant Nady by season's end.

You can e-mail your Fantasy Baseball questions to dmfantasybaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Pirates outlook in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state.